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Everything posted by bloviatrix

I love lemon curd. So, I've decided I'm going to try my hand at making it. I've gone through my books and I've noticed that while most recipes call for the butter to be added off-heat after the egg/sugar/lemon juice mixture has thickened, one or two recipes tell you to throw all the ingredients in a double boiler and whisk until thickened. (I've narrowed it down to RLB's The Cake Bible and Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking specifically.) Does it make a difference when the butter is added? Should I go with a recipe where I add butter at the end? Regarding the butter, will european-style (higher fat) make much of a flavor difference. Or should I stick the regular Keller's and save the Plugra for baking?

Does anyone have any suggestions for reducing the unpleasant aftereffects of eating Jerusalem Artichokes? I like eating them, the but the end result is really quite unpleasant. According to McGee's On Food and Cooking (p. 307, new edition), Jerusalem artichokes contain an abundance of fructose-based carbohydrates and humans don't have the enzymes needed to digest them. As a result, the "beneficial bacteria in our intestines feed on them instead, in the process generating carbon dioxide and other gases that can cause abdominal discomfort." McGee goes on to explain that long cooking (12 - 24 hours) and low temperatures (200F) will convert the carbohydrate to digestible fructose. The thing is most recipes call for much shorter cooking times and higher temperatures.

Have you been trying to figure out where to eat this weekend? Well, this morning, I found an e-mail in my in-box alerting me to the fact that Bar Masa at Time Warner is having its soft opening this weekend. Enjoy!

Actually, there are issues with vegetables and fruits - bugs. The eating of bugs is forbidden and the work that's required to ensure that many vegetables are bug-free are enormous. The certification agencies have essentially banned asparagus tips, broccoli, and strawberries. You won't see squash blossoms either. Prepping any leafy green is an absolute bitch. I have frequent conversations with a number of the top kosher caterers about the challenges they face That said, there are some excellent kosher restaurants. Tierra Sur, in Oxnard, CA is fabulous. I've had several wonderful meals there. And in Brooklyn, Pardes is making some very good, creative food at extremely reasonable price points for kosher. Also in Brooklyn (Crown Heights) is Basil. Pardes menu

Pam, I buy the nam pla from Koshergourmetmart.com. They have it sporadically, but if you register for the web site, they'll send you an email when they get in a shipment. They carry a lot of ingredients for the Asian kitchen. Another option is to find someone traveling to Israel. A friend of mine has her in-laws bring it when they come visit.

I can't my head around this price. Kosher first cut brisket sells for $14.99/lb in Manhattan. For Shemini Atzeret I made a 4.5 brisket. Braised in beer and chili sauce with lots of vegetables. Served 7 for dinner and we were left with enough leftovers to serve the two of us for two meals.

We do this seder as well. Our usual offerings are Leek, swiss chard or spinich, dates, gourd, black eyed peas, pomegrantate and sheep head or fish. This little seder is my wife's favorite part ← We do the ashkenaz version of the seder. Leeks, carrots, dates, fish heads, I'm blanking on the rest right now. I'm my favorite part of the meal as well. It just makes it more meaningful.

In my early days of canning, I used a huge stock pot and then placed the jars in a pasta insert - this allowed the water to swirl around the jars but they weren't in direct contact with the bottom of the pot. It also made it very easy to handle jar insertion and removal.

I've been shopping at W. 97th for about 10 years now and it continues to get better. New farmers this year are Grazin' Angus, Madura and Amendajo (I'm probably mispelling their name). It's a very good market, but it's not as comprehensive as USGM - there are certain varieties of vegetables/fruit that you can't there - for example Red Jacket only seems to sell the greengage plums at USGM. Nobody sells a variety of chilis like Oak Grove. On friday mornings I'm at W. 97th by 7:45 and then go to USGM on my way to the office (I work 2 blocks away). Farmers are off the top of my head (I believe this a complete list): Locust Grove, Kernan, Bradley, Bialas, Visconti, Red Jacket, Madura, Amendejo, Tello (not just eggs as at USGM but a variety of vegetables including cranberry beans). Patches of Star for cheese, Grazin' Angus for beef, Ronneybrook - dairy, Pura Vida - fish. There's also a baked goods vendor - don't know their name.

I have serious fish head issues. They freak me out. I think I was traumatized by a smoked whitefish as a child, but I'm not sure. I'm ok in the fish store when it comes to checking out the fish eyes to make sure they're not clouded over, but I will not buy a fish unless it's beheaded. Does anyone else have the same reaction to fish heads? How do you deal with it? (BTW, my husband teases me about this phobia. He actually dared me to start this thread )

I was completely unaware they were going to do a companion TV show to the magazine but today's NY Times had review of the show. Cooking Tips Marinated in Martha Stewart's Style I made a point of watching the show tonight and it's really not bad. It's the complete antithesis to Sandra Lee in that they show you can make healthy, good meals with minimal work and without all that prepared crap. Has anyone else caught it? What are your thoughts?

Coffee Ice Cream was the flavor of the week. Much richer and with greater depth than commercial coffee ice cream. Wonderful silky mouthfeel. I actually made a second batch which will get a mocha swirl.

I made the salted butter caramel ice cream earlier in the week. Another success. The mouthfeel is great and because it doesn't get super hard you can scoop it right out of the freezer. This and the butterscotch butter pecan are truly winners. Next up will be a coffee flavor.

It occurred to me not too long ago that I hadn't seen Fifi/Linda post in a very long time and I wondered what she was up to. I recall how much she was looking forward to retirement, all her plans for her new place, and foraging. RIP.

I have 4 quarts of these curing in my pantry as I type. We go through them in massive quantites. Several years ago someone here suggested this recipe for spicy dills. I make them often, and we're currently finishing the first batch of the season. Later today I will make some "instant gratification" pickles. They're bread & butter pickles that only need about 4 hours of curing before they're ready to eat - hence, their name.